Monthly Archives: November 2014

Today is a Monday. More specifically, the Monday after Halloween and the time change. Getting back into the routine of school was not easy this morning. E, my nine year old, was up an hour early, playing with Mr. Hamster, roller skating, and asking questions at a rate my pre-caffeinated brain could not keep up with. Her little sister, on the other hand, is not a morning person. She enjoys the warmth of her bed and the comfort of sleep. This morning I laid two outfits for C out on her bed and told her to get dressed and come downstairs for apple cinnamon oatmeal (a favorite of hers).

C, wanting to exert control of her clothing, choose one piece from each outfit resulting in a cute sweater/legging ensemble. It was cute until I realized as she was getting out of the car that the sweater is too short and the leggings too big resulting in a clothing gap around her middle. As I was trying to hitch her pants up, I noticed that she was covered in oatmeal.

I may have noticed these things earlier if I had not shut E’s fingers in the front door.

After I dropped C off, I went to get food for our family. I was trying not to beat myself up too much about the morning gone wrong, when I noticed the lady in front of me in line was having trouble getting out of her electric shopping cart. I offered to help her and she started telling me about her knee replacement surgery and how at 84 years old nothing works right anymore. She said, “Growing old’s a bitch, but it beats the alternative.”

She has oatmeal on her clothes because she has food to eat (and because she’s a very messy eater). She has warm clothes that cover most of her body. She is happy. Having kids is a bitch, but it sure beats the alternative.